I’m at a coffee shop taking some time off from the holiday noise doing my favorite introvert things: writing, reflecting, journaling, planning and doodling.

 

A young woman’s sitting in front of me, her laptop open, a facebook page staring right into my face. The woman is busy copying snippets of text, pasting, and scheduling them.

 

I know I’m not supposed to look, but I’m glued to her process. I recognize a fellow online entrepreneur, planning her facebook posts one week ahead.

 

Here’s what she does:

 

  • Opens a large word document with images copied into it.
  • Copies one image into Facebook.
  • Writes a message to go with the image.
  • Looks at her calendar.
  • Schedules the post for a specific day.
  • Crosses off that day on the calendar.
  • Rinse-repeat.

 

10 minutes into it her phone buzzes: 2 Facebook notifications. She picks up the phone, responds to notifications, puts the phone down, drinks some water, starts all over again.

 

If you ever tried to plan your Facebook posts this way, you’d recognize yourself as well. This may even be the reason why you’re not keen on this social media stuff.

 

It takes loads of your time and seems to give you nothing in return. You wonder if there’s a more efficient way… In the meantime you drift into the land of “who-cares” and post something once a week, when you have the time.

 

Today I’ll share with you about the small things you can do to half the time you spend on Facebook. I’ll also talk about what content will give you the best return on your time investment.

 

3 Facebook Hacks for Smart Online Teachers.

 

  • Know your core message.

 

Many teachers/coaches look at themselves from the position of service providers. We think that the only reason people hire us is the type of our services, the “what.”

 

Yet in a society driven by customer experiences, rather than goods, our potential clients aren’t satisfied with “fixes,” they want to tell the story of why they hired you, not anyone else. Don’t believe me? Watch this.

 

Before you go to social media with your message, you need to figure out how it impacts your potential client. Seth Godin challenges us to think what change we want to see in the world.

 

Think of your ideal client — how is her life changed after she’s worked with you? Does she feel more motivated? Centered? Excited? Passionate? Does she feel empowered? Proud of the product she’s bought from you? Ready to brag about it?

 

The shift in the way she feels is the change you create. It’s not about cat memes or phrasal verb pics (#languageteacherquirk).

 

When you chisel that message, you need to communicate it in different creative ways, connecting with your audience and inspiring them to want that change.

 

That’s what’s social media is great for: a place that hands you a mouthpiece to spread your message.

 

Use #facebook to gain traction for your #online #teaching #business. Find out how.Click To Tweet

 

  • Prepare in advance.

 

When you know your message, find ways to communicate it:

 

    • Follow bloggers/podcasters whose business values align with yours
    • Find content (blogs, podcasts, videos, images) that communicates your message
    • Add all the content into a feed (so you don’t sign up for 50 newsletters)

 

  • Schedule your content in advance, using buffer (or other social media scheduling software), not facebook.
  • Schedule once or twice a day.

 

Note: You can’t share only “your stuff” on social media. The rule of thumb is at least 80% of all the content you share has to be someone else’s, and 20% yours. Here’s my post on how to rock your social media.

 

  • Sort out your tech side.

 

This may surprise you, but the quality of the equipment we use can make an impact on how efficient we are. If the equipment is bulky, old and compact, you’ll spend 10 minutes just loading a page, and that’s the time that you should gain

 

  • Consider buying a better performing computer (possibly a desktop). Jaime Miller has a great guide here.
  • Buy a mouse. I used to think, “Who needs a mouse when you have a touch pad?” But scheduling your social media without a mouse is a pain. Highlighting text, copying, pasting – all takes half the time with the mouse (I’ve timed it!)
  • Create a folder (a series of images) to share on social media. Don’t copy and paste them into a word document (!) Add them into a folder and create a title that goes with the message so you can search them.

 

 

To Recap:

 

Let’s not lose time on Facebook and let’s not contribute to the overall noise of posting the same things that everyone else is posting.

 

  • Dig into your core message. Check out Veronika Palovska’s Brand Story Kit to help you tell your story that will attract your client.
  • Find people that think like you, share their content and make connections.
  • Write down your content ideas 1 month in advance. Our Opted Out Planner has several pages to help you brainstorm.
  • Schedule content using smart tools, like Buffer.
  • Buy reliable and fast equipment, including a mouse.
  • Create your images in Canva, using a set of your brand colors and fonts.

 

What about you? Have you tamed Facebook to work for your business?

 

The post was updated in April, 2021.

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